After a Marian procession paused to bow in front of the house of a local mafia leader, police accompanying the procession left and reported the incident to anti-mafia prosecutors.

Italian Carabinieri police participate in a June 6 audience with Pope Francis.

– Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

VATICAN CITY — Two weeks after Pope Francis’ harsh condemnation of mafia corruption in the Italian region of Calabria, police abandoned a Marian procession that paused to bow in front of the house of a mafia leader.

According to Italian news agency ANSA, anti-mafia activists in southern Calabria have officially opened an investigation regarding a July 2 procession in the town of Oppido Mamertina that involved carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary.

In the midst of the route, the procession paused in front of the home of local mafia leader Peppe Mazzagatti, 82, who is currently serving a life sentence and is under house arrest due to health reasons. Those bearing the Marian statue made a gesture like a bow in front of Mazzagatti’s house.

Following the gesture, ANSA reports that the Italian Carabinieri, a branch of the police, accompanying the statue abandoned the procession and later called anti-mafia prosecutors, who are investigating whether or not the stop was planned and who is responsible.

Although such acts of reverence are frequent due to the fact that the local mafia, referred to as the “’Ndrangheta” in Calabria, are often prominently involved in the Church, the Carabinieri’s abandonment of the procession marks a first, according to local papers, and signifies a condemnation of the homage paid to the mafia leader.

The act of the Carabinieri also bears significant weight because members of the ‘Ndrangheta can be found among their ranks, even influencing their superiors. Therefore, the Carabinieri’s departure signifies a strong visible division among their ranks.

Father Ennio Stamile, a parish priest in the Calabrian town of Cetraro, who has been targeted by the 'Ndrangheta numerous times for his commitment against organized crime, spoke with CNA July 8, cautioning against stirring up “too much media attention following the Pope's words,” due to the fact that it gives more attention to mafia bosses.

However, in general, the reaction of Calabria citizens to the Pope’s words “has been positive,” the priest reported, recalling how the Holy Father referred to members of the mafia as adorers “of evil, like those who live by dishonesty and violence.”

Recounting how the Pope also said that mobsters are “not in communion with God; they are ‘excommunicated,’” Father Stamile explained, “They were strong words, pronounced on the plain of Sybaris and of clear and precise condemnation, even using the word excommunication.”

“The people are very impressed by this clear and distinct stance on the part of the Holy Father,” he said, and “it has remained materially felt in the minds ... the words of hope, the acts of charity.”

Need for Education

Observing how some are advocating an end to religious processions in the region due to the continuation of similar acts of homage to mafia leaders, the priest affirmed that there is a great need “to educate religions more on these manifestations of popular piety.”

“For me, there is no need to remove them; there is a need to educate the people. … I agree with education, not with removing. And when we don't [educate], it's our failure as priests. We need to be more attentive to this.”

Pope Francis’ words signify a “precise action from a pastoral point of view,” Father Stamile noted, because “the responsibility of us priests is to educate consciences … not condemning people.”

“And to educate consciences means also to create social, cultural, educational paths, etc., so that all consciences are formed, the men are formed. And we really need to be present there to bring the Gospel.”

Reflecting on the next steps that can be taken in fighting the mafia, the priest said that “we need common pastoral guidelines for the dioceses and all parishes,” particularly regarding the celebration of funerals for mafia members as well as their reception of Communion.

This way, everyone can “apply the principles that everyone has applied for many years, to decide how to act in specific cases,” he added. “This must be done. Everything else is emphasized chatter from those who don't know anything.”

Comments

Outside of those parts of Italy, noone in the world regards the mafia as anything except villains and unrepentant mortal sinners… Do they really think God will turn a blind eye to their murders and crime? Do they honestly believe the Son of God came to set up followers who murder and are unrepentant? They are not His followers until they repent.

Posted by Tom in AZ on Wednesday, Jul 9, 2014 4:53 PM (EDT):

@HermitTalker: What about rural Mexicans—who are in North America—or rural Guatemalans—who are in Central America? “South America” and “Latin America” are not interchangeable terms.
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And the fact is that EVERYONE, not just “certain Catholic groups” mixes paganism into their Christianity; the last 500 years has been nothing BUT mixing paganism into Christianity. Remember what got “reborn” in the Renaissance—the culture of wife-selling slave-owning bulimic pederasts, AKA “the pagan Greeks and Romans”. Every witch-hunt (all of which happened AFTER the 1400s, and virtually all of which were in Northern Europe) was the result of pagan admixture, or at least of Judaizing (the oldest heresy in Christianity): Jews and pagans killed people for witchcraft, whereas in Latin Christendom, the Councils of Frankfurt and Paderborn (under Charlemagne) declared witch-hunting to be HERESY.

Posted by HermitTalker on Wednesday, Jul 9, 2014 11:59 AM (EDT):

It is a fact of life that certain Catholic groups can mix a lot of the Pagan with their Catholicism Italians still and rural South Americans.

Posted by jenny on Wednesday, Jul 9, 2014 6:56 AM (EDT):

Mother Mary pray for us. Protect Pope Francis and may the evil doers have a change of heart. Amen.

Posted by Ann Hamilton on Tuesday, Jul 8, 2014 7:17 PM (EDT):

Mother Mary pray for us. Protect Pope Francis and may the evil doers have a change of heart. Amen

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